Easy Ways to Engage Customers with Interactive Product Labels

Companies are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to reach their consumers. No matter the industry, enhancing customer engagement can set your business apart from others and help you to capitalize on your market. Companies from multiple sectors do this through interactive product labels that allow consumers to experience a product rather than just a description of it.

From QR codes on packaging to augmented reality, there are many options for available interactive product labels. No matter what industry you serve, there is an opportunity for you to take advantage of this technology and reach your customers in new and exciting ways through custom labels.

The Importance of Interactive Product Labels

Interactive packaging has been a welcome alternative to traditional labels. Packaging was once seen as merely the protective layer for a product to keep it new and fresh. However, with the advent of interactive marketing, the product can now come to life before the consumer even removes the product from its protection.

With interactive labels, the packaging becomes a living and breathing part of the experience that could begin with just a simple scan of the phone. A QR code may lead consumers to a virtual world where they can see the product take shape, like a wine bottle’s label transforming into a detailed story about the vineyard. It could open a 3-D model where the consumer can view the product from all angles in order to manipulate it before opening it in case of fragility.

Perhaps the food product inside the packaging is interactively linked to a website full of recipes, nutritional information, and more. The bounds of interactive packaging are endless and are only limited by the marketing team’s ideas. Creating a more memorable experience means your product becomes the one consumers think about first in what could be an otherwise crowded space.

Other benefits of interactive product labels include:

• Traceability through supply chains. For some companies, the ability to monitor the product through their supply chains is vital to the health and life of the product. This can be done through the use of smart sensors, temperature monitors, and more.

For products that may need to arrive at a certain time because of perishability or because the product helps in emergency circumstances, tracing the product through the supply chain with real-time information allows companies to communicate with consumers and keep their product safe effectively.

• Creates Sustainability. Smart packaging can help with the importance of creating sustainable products. For companies who rely on freshness, for example, smart label technology can help mitigate problems before they arise through proper monitoring.

If you have a food product that needs to arrive at a certain temperature, smart sensors can help to ensure issues are intercepted before the product is discarded, which can help to reduce and eliminate unnecessary waste.

Technology Behind Interactive Product Labels

The technology used in interactive packaging is not from some science fiction movie but from the same advancements that are used every day. Because the purpose of this type of packaging is to engage consumers with your product further, choosing the right experience is important. The focus is on how to connect with consumers in one of two ways. First, connect with them on a physical or mental level. Second, connect with them from an information level. Two of the most popular ways are QR Codes and augmented reality, often enhanced by digital content for a richer interactive experience.

QR Codes

Quick Response codes are effective for just about every type of consumer. With access to QR codes from any technology that has a camera and a web browser, consumers can quickly and easily access information. These codes can link consumers to anything from a website, a PDF, or an interactive interface such as an app. With its ease of scannability, it can be a popular choice to reach a wide audience.

Augmented Reality Product Labels

AR is used by companies who wish to create a 2D or 3D virtual space in which consumers can connect with a product and manipulate it in a way that doesn’t jeopardize the physical product itself. For companies like toy makers, augmented reality can allow consumers to scan their packages and have characters that appear in a virtual world. For companies like auto parts manufacturers, mechanics could scan the product and enter it into a 3D visualization to see if the part will fit or how to connect specific elements.

These technologies and the emergence of others, such as Near Field Communication (NFC) or Radio Frequency Identification (RFI), can truly bring labels to life, making the experience you want for your consumer possible.

Strategies for Creating Engaging Labels

Creating interactive labels is about catching the eye of your consumer. With the right physical interaction and sensory engagement, your product can stand out from the competition. Interactive labels have proven effective in a number of ways.

• Olio D’Oliva, an olive oil company, created an interactive label that allows consumers to peel part of the label to create a window to the inside of the bottle while the peeled portion became the spout from which the oil was poured.
• 19 Crimes wine labels can be scanned with a smartphone to reveal a video in which the criminal featured on the bottle shares a story about the crime.
• Elate Clean Cosmetics has created packaging from seed paper that can be planted once the product is removed from the packaging, enhancing consumer engagement through sustainable label practices.

These are just a few examples of how interactive packaging can enhance the experience of the consumer. To take advantage of interactive labeling, consider the creative ways in which you can interact with your customers that still fit within your brand’s profile and core values.

Implementing Interactive Labels

Creating a digital experience in packaging is more than just putting a QR code onto your package to return your consumer to the website. It is about proper integration with a multitude of perspectives in a joint effort of your marketing, design, and IT teams. Each team working together creates a unified approach to designing the right packaging to ensure the right message is delivered.

To create an effective packaging, consider the following steps:

• Ensure your packaging is aligned with the identity of your company and the message it wants consumers to receive.
• To create a cohesive appearance, think through the right design and balance it with color design, font, icons, and images.
• Ensure your interactive element is easy to locate and links your consumer to a user-friendly interface.
• When it comes to the interface, ensure that it is optimized for a variety of platforms, devices, and web browser types.
• Ensure that your platforms are secure and reliable so that your consumer experience is not hindered by faulty usability.
• Finally, test your interactive package in order to eliminate any type of user technology issues.

These simple steps, with an alignment of your company’s total team, can create a unique experience that leaves your company memorable and sets you apart from the competition.

Compliance and Regulations

Interactive packaging labels must follow the same federal, state, and local regulations as any other label. Often, this includes safety warnings, country of origin, nutritional information, and more. As data protection, privacy, and digital access continue to increase, there have been pushes for greater regulations to oversee interactive labeling, so being up-to-date on new standards for your industry is important.

In order to ensure your label is meeting with compliance laws, ensure that it contains these most common elements required by the various oversight entities:

• Product name
• For food, the list of ingredients, expiration date, storage instructions, and allergy information
• Country of origin or manufacturing company
• The quantity contained in the packaging
• Any instruction on how to use the product

These simple inclusions can keep your packaging compliant. With interactive labeling, some of this information could be expanded through the connection. Keep directions for accessing this information clear so your consumer can easily locate and utilize this information. As these are emergent technologies, there is ongoing discussion over what consumer data can be collected through each interactive label.

Measuring the Impact of Interactive Labels

Measuring the success of your interactive label campaign is more than just seeing an increase in business. While that can be one marker of a successful campaign, consider the following as well:

• Reaching your goal. Your campaign should start with a goal in mind, such as what you hope to achieve with your campaign, by identifying the key performance indicators that you want to track.
• Track effectively. Determine the methodology for which you want to track the progress of your new packaging. Monitoring the unique user access or even the use of hidden discount codes can help to determine if your campaign is working.
• Analyze the data and make adjustments. Optimizing your campaign based on the success rate of your interactive label is an effective way to use the data. Tracking numbers is great, but if you do not use the information to further enhance your label or experiment with different types, then you are not utilizing the data effectively.
• Learn from others. Pay attention to how other businesses, both inside and outside your industry, are using interactive product label technology. Understanding what has been successful for others can be an effective tool.

Interactive labels can be an amazing enhancement to your product when implemented properly. Ensure that you have a team of individuals from multiple areas of your business responsible for maintaining and tracking your label’s effectiveness.

Royal Label

If you are ready to integrate interactive labels into your product line, contact Royal Label. Our team can help you create a professional and beautiful label that is unique, fits your brand, and engages your consumers with quality labels and custom stickers.